Neil Bathon Founder, Fuse Research Network

From the moment Neil Bathon left Financial Research Corp. in 2006, it seemed inevitable that he would one day start another venture with the word "research" in it. Bathon, who founded FRC in 1987 and built it into one of the most respected research and consulting firms targeting asset managers, launched Fuse Research Network in September 2008, luring talent from his old stomping ground, such as FRC president Mike Evans and research director Sam Campbell.

Fuse in February released its debut research effort, a retirement income study for which it partnered with Mast Hill Consulting. It has since come out with numbers on the fastest-growing fund firms, a report examining style-boxed versus unconstrained funds and findings from a poll of product executives. Earlier this month, Fuse unveiled an alliance with consulting firm Momentum Partners.

Fuse's arrival on the scene came amid changes in the research and consulting landscape. Two months after Fuse was born, FRC was sold by Citigroup to Mercatus Partners. This summer, Strategic Insight was purchased by Asset International.

Prior to starting FRC, Bathon worked at Kemper Financial Services for three years. The diehard Baltimore Orioles, Notre Dame football and Marquette basketball fan, who patterns his presentation style after stand-up comedians Steven Wright and Bob Newhart, began his career in the financial services industry at Zacks Investment Research. 

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